as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
the endless pestering finally drove me to study at the library
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in teasing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in bothering
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
one resident pestered the condo board about every little thing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pestering
Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
The strengths that those same opponents will spend long hours trying to account for — Nix’s pestering speed, a relentless pass-rush that produced a franchise-record 68 sacks, including four of Lance — aren’t changing either.
—Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
No kid brother tagging along, pestering him with questions, pushing up on his social circle.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 Dec. 2025
Hawke’s Hart holds serve in all of these scenes, motormouthing, pestering, insisting, utterly unable to help himself, sometimes in the most literal interpretation of the phrase.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, the ewe who gave birth to her won't go away or stop pestering these human usurpers.
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Alex Caruso was the ace in the hole, pestering and prodding Jokic to death in Game 7.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2025
Schroder, who has a reputation for pestering opposing point guards, is the head of that spear.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025
No kid brother tagging along, pestering him with questions, pushing up on his social circle.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
There were almost no visible signs of this pestering affliction, which interfered with the rabbi’s sleep and therefore with his mental competence and his negotiation of daytime duties and professional matters.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
Every day the press corps descended on both teams with pestering questions, some of which were obvious plants to promote products.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
The strengths that those same opponents will spend long hours trying to account for — Nix’s pestering speed, a relentless pass-rush that produced a franchise-record 68 sacks, including four of Lance — aren’t changing either.
—Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
No kid brother tagging along, pestering him with questions, pushing up on his social circle.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 Dec. 2025
Hawke’s Hart holds serve in all of these scenes, motormouthing, pestering, insisting, utterly unable to help himself, sometimes in the most literal interpretation of the phrase.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, the ewe who gave birth to her won't go away or stop pestering these human usurpers.
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Alex Caruso was the ace in the hole, pestering and prodding Jokic to death in Game 7.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2025
Schroder, who has a reputation for pestering opposing point guards, is the head of that spear.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025
No kid brother tagging along, pestering him with questions, pushing up on his social circle.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pestering
Noun
-
The trolling and harassment members of our community have endured in the past few days has been horrific.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Roughly a quarter of trans and nonbinary people who have not updated their identification documents experience subsequent mistreatment when showing their IDs, including verbal harassment, assault and denial of services or access to settings.—
Noelle Martin,
The Conversation,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Mass incarceration has led to a fast-growing bloc of citizens who either are legally barred from voting or have just stopped bothering.—
Kevin B. Smith,
The Conversation,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Stop bothering me with things that don’t make sense.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Having been warned that a former child prodigy is coming to town, Salieri first happens to spy Mozart playing a naughty game of hide-and-seek with his wife-to-be, Constanze Weber (Lauren Worsham), in and out of her skirt.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Yes, keep track of who is being naughty or nice.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After nearly a year of teasing, Underscores has finally shared the details of her new album.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
27 Feb. 2026
-
His voice nice, a little teasing.—
Mary Gaitskill,
New Yorker,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Scottish actor John Hannah was Evelyn’s troublemaking brother Jonathan.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Over the years, Greg has gotten into fights with his best friend Rowley and troublemaking brother Rodrick, he’s gone to summer camp and saved his school, even tried his hand (disastrously) at sports.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Haggerty isn’t the most explosive athlete, but was still able to get to his spots with his crafty footwork to find space through the TCU defense.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Perhaps an old, familiar face is crafty enough to mend upon his arrival.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pestering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestering. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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